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Poster for In the Family

In the Family

2011 · 2h 49m · NOT RATED Drama
Directed by Patrick Wang

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Overview

In the town of Martin, Tennessee, Chip Hines, a precocious six year old, has only known life with his two dads, Cody and Joey. And a good life it is. When Cody dies suddenly in a car accident, Joey and Chip struggle to find their footing again. Just as they begin to, Cody's will reveals that he named his sister as Chip's guardian. The years of Joey's acceptance into the family unravel as Chip is taken away from him. In his now solitary home life, Joey searches for a solution. The law is not on his side, but friends are. Armed with their comfort and inspired by memories of Cody, Joey finds a path to peace with the family and closer to his son.

Director and cast

Critics on Rotten Tomatoes

Top critics, in their words

All reviews
96%
Tomatometer
Rotten

To see it is to sit there for long stretches amazed at how clumsy, fake and misguided it is. But then, five minutes later you might easily be riveted and moved by its awkward brilliance.

Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
Fresh

Trevor St. John is cute and broody-mouthed as the deceased lover; Wang, the movie's writer-director, is touchingly, disarmingly open; and the kid, Sebastian Banes, is adorable.

Marsha McCreadie, Village Voice
Fresh

No doubt you've noticed the nearly three-hour runtime, but please don't let that dissuade you: Every moment counts in this gripping tale ...

Keith Uhlich, Time Out New York
Fresh

As Wang holds us in rapt attention, not only with his steady pacing, but with the hard realism of the screenplay, the characters retain a coldness that never breaks.

Guy Dixon, Globe and Mail
Fresh

Wang chooses gentle storytelling as a tool of persuasion rather than soap-box hectoring to make his point: that love - in all its forms - can transcend the greatest obstacles.

Bruce Demara, Toronto Star

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